Wednesday, February 5, 2014

CARD DRIVE for Emma!

Card Drive is now closed. Thanks to all who participated.Please check the WINNERS post HERE.

Hello cardmakers.

About a year and a half ago I held a successful card drive (250+) for my friend's daughter, Addison, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in September of 2012. Addison and her sisters LOVED getting all the cards and she and her family continue to battle the cancer. Her treatment plans goes until 2015!

With a sad heart, I am coming back to the card making community to make cards for another little 7 year girl named Emma who goes to the same school as Addison and was also diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia back in October 2013. The first year of treatment was really challenging for Addison. Addison's mom asked if I could host a drive to bring a smile to Emma and her family as they face this tough first year and beyond.

From the family: Tuesday, October 22, Emma went in for a quick check of a persistent
cough as well as to address some concerns about her recent fatigue and
pale coloring. A chest x-ray didn’t reveal any fluid in her lungs but
her primary care physician detected an enlarged spleen. She suggested we
take Emma for blood work to rule out mononucleosis. Within an hour of
the blood work we had preliminary results of severe anemia. At this
point, her primary care physician gently warned us of a possible
diagnosis of leukemia. By 2pm that afternoon we were checking into the
hematology/oncology clinic at Dayton Children’s and meeting the amazing
staff who would travel this 2+ year journey with us.

My goal is 104 cards minimum (received over 200 for Addie) to give her a card a week for two years.

You can read more about Emma's diagnosis and journey on her Caring Bridges page. You may have to create an account to read the posts.

If you would like to help encourage her on her journey here are some guidelines:

Cards can be
anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc.You can include or
incorporate kid-friendly jokes! Please avoid get well card and reminders
of being sick. Please avoid holiday specific cards so the cards can be
used anytime over the next two years.

Emma loves the colors green, purple and blue. She has no siblings. She has two dogs, a cat and a fish. She LOVES horses and bunnies. She enjoys horseback riding, swimming, dancing and singing.

All cards need to have a positive message in it for the child/family. Please also sign your name and the city or state where you are from. There could be a geography lesson in there! Also, please don't seal the envelope, as the parents might want to preview cards before Emma sees them.

Please stick
to just cards or lightweight things like stickers,
etc. if you'd like to put something in the card. I will be delivering the
cards to Addison's family and they will then get the cards to Emma's family so no additional shipping costs will be incurred.

You are welcome to send store-bought cards, but they will not be eligible for prizes.

There is no need to send money or postage with your cards.

In each package, PLEASE
include a piece of paper with your name and email address and how
many cards you sent .This helps in keeping track for prizes!For each handmade card you send, you
will get a chance for a prize. So the more cards you send, the better your
chances; however, one prize per person.

PLEASE SHARE this post on your blog, etc. Maybe consider making a card for Emma using a sketch or color challenge. The more people who see this, the better!

Winners
of prizes will be randomly drawn on or around July 20, 2014 and notified
on this blog and via email (must be provided with cards and written clearly).

Please feel free tosharethis
card drive with others. I am a baby blog with few followers and would
be so grateful if you can share this on your blog. Use challenge blogs
for your inspiration (maybe you'll be a double winner!).

Thank you so much for your generosity.

I
pray these cards will lift the spirits of the family and bring them
little moments of comfort and joy during this difficult time.

They have a very long road ahead of them and you can make it a bit smoother.

If you want to send a card for Addison, just put her name on the card envelope and send it to the same address listed above.

If you have any additional questions not addressed above, please email me at kellybertram(at)hotmail(dot)com.THANKS!!!!!

Kelly, so sorry to hear that another card drive is needed...but happy to pitch in. I've been taking a break from cardmaking lately to focus on my scrapbooks, but will be nice to jump back in for a good cause. Will get working on some cards for you in the next week or two. You really are an angel for doing these card drives. Hope we come through for you with enough cards for the year. All my best to you and your family. Stacy

Glad to hear Addison and her sisters loved the cards you collected for them the last time. sorry to hear about Emma...I will make some happy cards for her in the coming weeks. I have shared this with my sister.

Such a Nice way to send SMILES!! Kinda weird!!?? I had never known anyone personally with this type of Cancer until a few weeks ago!! One of the boys on my son's YMCA B-Ball team (also 7) just got this same Diagnosis!! It is already stage 4 and he has already under went surgery and started with some treatments!! We are hosting a Donation Supper her him and his family!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing and I'll be sending some cards shorlty!! Have a FABULOUS WEEK!! =)

I haven't been making cards but if purchased cards are all right I will mail them asap. So sorry to hear about this sweet little girl.

I know what's it's like to have a ill child. My grandson, who lived with me 5 1/2 days a week until age 4, was very ill at birth. It was touch and go, as he was born with a Chromosome Disorder. Watching a child suffer is gut wrenching.

About Me

I am a reading teacher at a middle school, church preschool worker, former H.S. teacher, devoted wife to M and mom to two energetic boys and one seriously furry dog. I love to play golf and volleyball. I also enjoy scrapbooking and making cards so this is my little place to share my projects. Thanks for visiting.